The Rebellion Continues
by Gandalf3213
Summary: Hogwarts has changed. Students are subjected to the Crutiatus Curse for detentions, teachers are Death Eaters, and a band of kids is trying to rebel against it. Neville suddenly finds himself in charge of the DA. How does he end up running the Army?
1. The DA Revived

**I don't own them.**

_"Yea, I like the DA, only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army, because that's the thing the Ministry fears most."_

Hogwarts had changed.

Before their seventh year, the students had never been forced to come to school, though they all did anyway. Before their seventh year, it didn't matter what kind of blood you had. Before their seventh year, they hadn't been forced to take certain classes, or had the Cruciatus Curse fired at them in detention, or worse, were told to perform it themselves.

Before their seventh year, Seamus Finnegan and Neville Longbottom had shared a dormitory with three other boys, who were now all on the run from worse dangers.

So it was when they were in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts that they decided to take action.

* * *

Platform 9 ¾ seemed less crowded that usual. Neville automatically looked around for people he knew. He managed to spot Seamus, Lavander Brown, and the Patil twins from his year. Ginny Weasley was also standing there, looking very alone. Neville realized that it was one of the first times he'd ever seen Ginny without at least one of her brothers.

Neville said goodbye to his Gran. ("Take care of yourself, Neville! Things are changing!") and walked over to Ginny, who was standing next to Luna Lovegood. "Hello, Ginny. Hello, Luna." Neville said when he was within hearing distance. Ginny jumped. Luna merely glanced around dreamily and smiled at him.

When he was standing right beside Ginny, Neville asked, "Where's Ron? And Harry and Hermione?"

Ginny looked downcast and frustrated. "I'll tell you on the train." She said just as the scarlet engine was pulling into the station.

As Neville loaded his belongings on the train, he noticed several more people were missing. Draco Malifoy, for one, though Neville was happy to be rid of him. Two other Slytherins in his year were gone, and a few Hufflepuffs who Neville knew were muggle-born.

Neville found a compartment with Luna, Ginny, and Seamus. "Hello, Seamus." Neville said, sitting down next to his fellow Gryffendor. He glanced around the room, double-checking, "Where's Dean?"

Seamus' usually red face became pale and he looked both sad and disgusted. "He couldn't come. He couldn't prove he was related to a wizard."

"But I thought his dad was a wizard." Ginny said. Neville glanced at her, remembering that she was an ex-girlfriend of Dean's.

Seamus looked even more disgusted. "Yeah, but his dad ran out on him and his mum when he was a kid. So he had to choose between running or Azkaban."

Neville felt a stone drop into his stomach. He touched Seamus' shoulder, "I guess it's just us then." He knew that Seamus must be worried about his best friend and didn't know how to help him. He turned to Ginny. "So, where are they?"

"From what I gathered, their doing...something...to try to kill You-Know-Who." Ginny's voice was low and bitter. Neville sensed that she wanted to be with her brother and Harry. Probably, mostly Harry.

Luna spoke up, her voice still dreamy, "Well, it looks like we're the ones doing the DA this year."

They all stared at her. Ginny finished the thought. "Yeah...now that we have Death Eaters in charge of Hogwarts we're going to need it." She grinned at Luna, who smiled back. Neville thought that he missed something. He didn't understand girls at all.

The sky darkened but rain didn't come. The four of them were joined by different people throughout the day. Ernie McMillan, Hannah Abbot, Collin and Dennis Creevy, and more people from the old DA all with the same idea they'd had.

"So when are we meeting?" Ernie asked. "I still have my galleon." He produced it from his pocket. Others drew their own fake coins out. They all seemed to be looking at Neville, Ginny, and Luna. Neville gulped. He didn't like being a leader.

Luckily, Ginny answered for him. "I think we should see how bad it's going to be, but we should definetly have a meeting before this Friday. We have to see how many members we've lost."

Neville realized she was right. It had been two years since the original DA. People had graduated, and more hadn't come back because they were muggle-born. Everyone agreed with Ginny's plan and left with promises to tell the other DA members.

Neville turned to Seamus and they both fell into the old conversation about Quidditch. It was nice to talk about something that didn't have to do with You-Know-Who. Luna took out the latest copy of _The Quibbler_ and read it, humming absently to "Weasley is Our King." Ginny pulled out a package of Exploding Snap and started building an enormous tower.

For four hours, nobody mentioned the fact that Snape was now headmaster, or they that they had Death Eaters teaching them classes, or that their friends were now missing. They spent the four hours pretending that it was a year ago, and Dumbledore was still alive, and things still made sense.

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	2. Defence Against the Dark Arts

**I don't own them.**

_"You only get the Crutiartus Curse if you get detentions. They don't want to spill too much 'pure blood'."_

Neville wanted to scream. This was wrong. He shouldn't be doing this.

Defense Against the Dark Arts had always been touch-and-go. They had had good teachers, like Lupin, who had understood and liked the subject and the students, teachers like Umridge who understood neither the concept nor the students, teachers like Lockheart who understood nothing, and teachers like Snape, who adored the subject but loathed children of all sorts.

And he, Neville, had liked the class ever since Harry had shown him that doing a shield charm really wasn't that difficult at all.

But right now he wanted to get out. He couldn't be doing this. Professor Carrow stood at the front of the room, proclaiming in a high, nasal voice that they should embrace the Dark Arts, not fight them. He was also saying how they would learn to perform curses, not counter-act them.

And he decided he wanted Seamus as a test subject.

Neville touched Seamus' wrist as he stood up, shaking slightly. His only comfort was the fact that it was their first lesson, so this teacher shouldn't know them well enough to hate them. But Seamus was in bad shape at the moment. Depressed by the sudden flight of his best friend, the departure of two others in their dormitory, and the appointment of Snape as headmaster, he had cried in his sleep the night before. Neville had heard him, and reached out with his heart.

Now Seamus was at the front of the room. Neville could only catch every other word. His heart was beating too fast for him to hear over the noise. Did he just say Crutiartus Curse? They'd be performing it on each other? Neville caught a glimpse of Crabbe and Goyle's smiles as Carrow raised his wand and pointed it at Seamus, who was shaking worse than ever.

"Are you mental?"

Neville was surprised the words had come out of his own mouth, but his eyes met the teacher's as he whipped around to see who had caused the disturbance. Neville's hands were white as they gripped the table. He would not, could not, see somebody be subjected to the same Curse that had driven his parents insane to the point where they had forgotten they'd had a son. And to do it to Seamus, to a student...what was happening.

Carrow didn't even check the register. "Longbottom." The word came out like a hiss, and Neville wondered suddenly whether this was the person who had tortured his parents sixteen years ago. "Do you have a problem with my teaching methods?"

"I bloody well do!" Neville was shaking worse than Seamus as he got to his feet. Lavender tugged at his sleeve in an effort to make him stop. He shook her off. "You can't perform an Unforgivable curse on a student!" In a flash, he remembered Hermione saying the same thing three years ago, when they'd had another Death Eater as a teacher.

Carrow's lip curled into a sneer. "I was going to, but I won't anymore." Neville stood, stunned at his sudden change, until Carrow turned to Seamus. "You, boy, you will perform the Crutiatus Curse on Longbottom."

Seamus looked at Carrow, his mouth hanging slightly open. "You _are_ mental." He said, his voice low. He let out a short laugh. "If you think I'm going to do that to Neville you're dumber than you look."

He'd gone too far. Everyone in the class realized it at the same instant. Pavarti screamed as a beam of light hit Seamus and he was suddenly writhing on the floor.

Neville was stunned for a second, looking between Carrow and Seamus in horror. Seamus was yelling, his screams echoing around the suddenly silent dungeon. Neville felt hot tears sting his eyes. This was beyond anything he could have imagined. It was all wrong.

And then suddenly it was over. Seamus was on the floor, chest heaving. He spit blood out of his mouth and looked up at Carrow, his eyes betraying both his loathing and his fear.

Carrow didn't look down at Seamus again. He turned to the rest of them. "Longbottom, you have detention with me tomorrow night for your insubordination. Class dismissed."

Most people ran out the class. Some of the girls were sobbing. Neville knelt next to Seamus, who was sitting on the floor, knees up to his chin, quiet tears trailing down his face. "Seamus?" the boy looked up at him, and Neville felt an anger he had rarely experienced. He grabbed Seamus' arm and pulled him to his feet. "We'll get them, Seamus, I promise."

That night, seventeen galleons burned in their owners pockets. On it flashed the date of the first DA meeting of the year.

Because when Neville got back to the common room, he'd spent the better part of the evening figuring out the charms Hermione had used. He would do anything to get back at the Carrows for what they did to Seamus. This was war.

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	3. The First Meeting

**I don't own them.**

_"Hogwarts...well, it's not really the same anymore."_

Neville stood with Luna and Ginny, watching as the last people retreated from the Room of Requirement. "Well, that went well." He said, surprised to find his tone bitter and sarcastic. He wasn't referring so much to the meeting as he was to Hogwarts in general.

It was like Umbridge all over again, but worse. The decrees were back in place, all of them in the past four days (minus the one about Umbridge becoming headmistress). Which had made it difficult for the remaining members of the DA to get together again.

Snape was just as cruel a headmaster as they had all suspected he would be, turning a blind eye to the outbreak of duels coming from the Slytherins. He didn't seem to care that the Crutiatus Curse was being used on his students. After Seamus there had been Terry Boot, Michael Corner…but nobody from Slytherin.

"At least nobody got hurt on the way here." Ginny pointed out. "With Filch skulking in the corridors…someone could have gotten detention." All three shuddered at the thought. A young boy, a fourth-year Hufflepuff, had done something in one of the Carrow's classes to get detention. Turned out they finally let Filch have his dream. The boy had been locked in the dungeons over night, stringed to the ceiling, hanging by his thumbs, the manacles cursed so they'd burn his skin if he moved an inch.

Luna was gathering up the list that had been made. At the top was the heading _Dumbledore's Army_. Just like two years ago. Neville had glanced at the list. They had seventeen members. He hoped they would get more.

This year their aims would be different. It had been decided just an hour ago. They wouldn't learn how to defend themselves, though Ginny had promised to teach all of them the Bat-Boogy Hex just in case they had a chance to use it. This year, it would be about causing as much mayhem as possible.

"Just don't get caught." Seamus had warned everyone, his fists clenched into balls. "Whatever you do, don't get caught."

Neville remembered thinking that he wished the Weasley twins were still at Hogwarts. They'd be masters at this sort of thing. Luckily, it seemed as if they had more than one prankster in their midst. A few fifth years had some very wicked looks as they walked out.

Ginny poked her head out into the hallway, "I wish we had the Marauder's Map." She said ruefully as the three of them closed the door behind them. "It would help."

Neville nodded. If they had the Marauder's Map, though, that would mean that they would have Harry and Ron and Hermione. And they didn't.

Neville didn't realize he was shaking until he got back to the dormitory and collapsed into a chair next to Seamus. "Want to play chess?" The other boy asked him, already taking out a board.

And Neville found himself laughing, taking the pieces Seamus handed him. Chess…he was never very good at chess but to do something normal…normal…he wanted normal back.

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	4. Pranksters

**I don't own it. Sorry.**

_"I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."_

"I can't believe he hasn't done anything yet."

Neville found himself nodding along with Seamus at Ginny's statement. It was hard to believe that Snape didn't know what was going on, or who had caused all the trouble.

It was Monday, the third Monday after term began, and Neville found himself hating Hogwarts. The only times he looked forward to were double Herbology lessons, DA meetings, and sitting in the Room of Requirement with Seamus, Luna, and Ginny. Like he was now.

In the past week the DA had outdone themselves. Bursting with new members and some added, secretive help from some teachers (Professor McGonagal never wrote anyone up for detentions anymore) the members had caused as much mayhem as they had in the time when Umbridge had been in charge.

Mickey Ricco and John Growe, both Ravenclaw fifth-years, turned out to the two of the best partners-in-crime the DA could have hoped for. Their latest, greatest exploit was to let one small descendent of the great spider Aragog into Carrow's potion classroom. It ended up turning over most of the cauldrons. Carrow walked out of the room changing from flamingo pink to sun yellow.

Ginny took every opportunity she could to hex Crabbe and Goyle. Since they were no longer Malifoy's bodyguards, they had become ruthless, picking on first and second years and reporting Gryffendors for things they had allegedly done.

Seamus had formed an unexpected friendship with Peeves the Poltergeist. Reckless without the calming force of Dean to stop him, Seamus had been everywhere, doing small things (that chandelier had no chance. It was came crashing down every other day) to the larger, far more dangerous kind (he seemed to take pride in the fact that he could slip in and out of the potion storage cupboard quicker and quieter than anyone). He had served detention twice already, both times coming back bloody and shaking. They didn't care. Seamus was only half-blood.

Neville tried to stay out of it, but he always seemed to be pulled into his friend's schemes. Last week, he had been persuaded by John Growe to bring in a Fanged Petunia, not knowing that he wanted to drop it off in Muggle Studies as a 'gift'.

This evening, though, they were discussing Snape, who seemed to be doing next to nothing about the sudden, extremely conspicuous uprising against his staff.

"He's just waiting until we do something big. Then he'll be able to through us out." Seamus muttered darkly. "Or kill us." He added, as an afterthought.

"I think he's alright." Luna said suddenly. Neville gaped at her. Her eyes were wide and innocent as she continued, "He hasn't hurt any of us yet and Dumbledore trusted him for a reason so..."

She was cut off by loud shouts from Seamus and Ginny. "He _killed_ Dumbledore, Luna!" Seamus shouted, his bruised face contorted. "He obviously didn't trust the right person!"

"He tried to kill Harry last year, Luna." Ginny said, and Neville saw that this affected her nearly as much as Dumbledore's death did.

Luna shrugged, though she looked unperturbed. Neville shook his head. Once Luna made up her mind, she didn't go back on it, no matter what the evidence said.

Glancing at his watch, Neville sighed. "We should get back, guys. 'Specially you, Seamus. You get caught strolling around after hours and you will be killed."

They left the small, cozy room, parting company with Luna just outside the door and preceding to Gryffendor Common Room. "I think we need to do something big next." Ginny said as they climbed the stairs quietly, "Something directly at Snape."

"Like what?" Seamus asked, a now-familiar gleam of recklessness in his eyes. "Break into his office?" he barked out a laugh that reverberated around the empty hall. Neville slammed his hand over his mouth.

"Don't be stupid." Neville muttered. He couldn't dream of what Snape would do if they broke into the headmaster's office.

But Ginny was nodding thoughtfully. "Yeah, Seamus. Something like that."

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	5. Planning

_**I don't own them.**_

_Dark and dangerous times are ahead. Soon we will all have to choose between what is right and what is easy. _

"You should let us go with you."

It was half-way through October now, the leaves in the trees around the castle were changing color and frost started appearing on the windows of the Greenhouses where Neville spent most of his time, but in the Room of Requirement, where he was now, you couldn't see any of that.

Neville frowned at the younger boys. Mickey Ricco and John Growe, both fifth years in Ravenclaw, had stayed back after the last DA meeting to listen to Potter Watch. It turned out the program could be heard from the Room of Requirement through a radio Ginny had fixed. But the boys were also trying to get in on their plans. "No. I don't want you guys getting caught. Ginny, Luna, and I are going because we're pure-blood."

Mickey and John opened their mouths, eyes widening. Neville sighed, running a hand through his hair. God, he hated being leader. He'd already told Seamus that he couldn't come. It was just too dangerous, and Seamus was getting at least three detentions a week from the Carrows for the smallest things. That was where he was now.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I wish you guys could come, we could use you. But they won't hurt us as bad as you guys. Mick, you're only half-blood and John, you're not even that." Again, the boys opened their mouths, but Neville continued, on a roll now. "You've seen Seamus after his detentions. They can only give us the Crutaitus Curse, you guys can get whipped." He saw the boys shudder, a ripple going down their spines at the thought of the whip that Filch carried with him through the halls.

"Plus," Neville continued, looking directly at John. "You have Dave to worry about. He'll follow you if you get into any trouble, you know that." John nodded slowly, thinking of his reckless brother. Only a year younger and just as daring, John only kept Dave out of trouble by bodily dragging him out of it.

Mickey finally got a word in. "What about Ginny?"

"What about her?" Ginny asked, hands on her hips. Neville resisted the urge to groan. Ginny was too much like her brothers.

Mickey bit his lip, but continued, eyes blazing. "You're a blood traitor, you know that, Gin. That's just as bad too them."

Neville stepped between them, thankful that at least Luna wasn't saying anything. Luna seemed to be the only one unchanged by the chaos in Hogwarts. He had found her talking to a first-year the other night. The boy had just gotten and detention with the Carrows and looked really bad, but Luna was telling him about Knargles, whatever they were.

"Ginny is coming with us because it's her stupid idea to break into Snape's office." Mickey stepped back, looking a little shocked. Neville realized he was yelling and lowered his voice, wishing that Harry was here. Harry always knew how to get people to do things he wanted. "She wants to get that sword for Harry." Here he rolled his eyes at Ginny. What they would _do_ when they finally had the sword was still a mystery.

John put a hand on Mickey's shoulder, warning him without words to back off. "Can we at least be lookouts or something? The three of you can't do this _all_ by yourselves."

Neville nodded. "Sure. Seamus asked me the same thing. Listen, this is going to happen on..." he glanced at Ginny.

"Friday." She said.

"Friday. So be ready. One will be distraction. Two will be lookouts." Seeing the boys' faces he added, "John, you are not going to be distraction."

The boy once again tried to argue but Neville put up his hand, looking at the boy's swollen face, the cuts on his arms. "That's it, guys. Now get to your Common Room. Please, don't get caught."

Neville watched the boys slip out of the door before sinking into a large armchair. Ginny patted him on the arm, Luna folded herself in front of the now silent radio. Neville hung his head. He didn't know what would happen to those boys, and if they got hurt it would be his fault.

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	6. The Headmaster's Office

**I own it not.**

_It's a curious thing Harry, that those that are perhaps best suited for power_ _are those who never sought it. Those who have it thrust upon them...find to their own surprise that they wear it well._

Neville heard the scream behind him but kept moving. _Stupid, stupid, Neville._

As promised, John, Mickey, and Seamus were their lookouts/distraction. If any teacher came, they would burst into a loud chorus of "Weasley is Our King", which was the distraction part. One twist ―John had brought Dave along. The fourth year had somehow managed to acquire the password to the Headmaster's office, and John said that the least he could do was let him tag along on the mission.

But Neville, Luna, and Ginny were barely to the top of the winding staircase leading up to the Headmaster's office when a young boy's scream rang out. Neville just heard a shouted "Oy!" from Seamus before the door swung shut.

The room was dark. Green velvet curtains hung in the windows and the lamps burned a dull blue flame. Neville had never been in the Headmaster's office before, but from Ginny's quiet "oh" of surprise and disappointment, he could guess that it looked different.

"Where's the sword?" Neville hissed to Luna. Already he wished he was downstairs. He wished he had never agreed to go along with the plan. The other boys would undoubtedly get detention, and so would they if Snape came back.

"I think it's behind the desk." Ginny whispered back, cautiously moving forward. Neville glanced up at the portraits that hung on the wall. Some of them were sleeping, a good number were gone. The largest one, the one that hung behind the desk, was empty. Neville felt a pang. He had hoped to see Dumbledore.

Luna, who had disappeared from their side as soon as they entered the room, suddenly reappeared clutching a ruby-studded sword. Neville looked from her to the clutched sword. "Wha...? How'd you get it so fast?"

Luna shook her head, her large blue eyes reflecting the light from the torches. "It wasn't that hard. There were a few Blibbering ―" Neville took the sword from her, not bothering to hear the rest of her tale as he turned to sprint down the steps.

The door was already opening. Neville placed himself directly in front of Ginny and Luna as Snape came in. He expected the worst ― expulsion at the very least. They were in the Headmaster's office. They were stealing from him.

Snape looked from Ginny to Neville to Luna, then back at Ginny. He drew his wand, saying in a soft, slow voice. "I came up here because I heard that there was a disturbance in front of my office. I didn't expect to find students _inside_ my office." Neville opened his mouth to say...he didn't know what he would say. Snape's wand was pointed directly at him. "No excuse is necessary. That sword in your hand makes it obvious Longbottom."

Suddenly the sword was gone, and Snape had locked it back in its case. "You three have caused no end of trouble for me. Yes, I know it was you who brought back this 'Dumbledore's Army'. And now you're in my office, _stealing_ from my office. What should I do with you?" The last part was said even softer than the rest. Neville still felt the weight of the wand upon him.

Ginny opened her mouth and Neville kicked her. Ginny shouldn't say anything. She had her family ― all of her brothers to think about. He knew that the Ministry was looking for an excuse to lock up the biggest family of blood traitors.

Suddenly Snape turned around, facing the empty portrait of Dumbledore. "You will serve your detention at nightfall tomorrow. Be by the edge of the Forest by eight o' clock." Neville was stunned. The Forbidden Forest? That was all? He had been expecting the Crutiartus Curse, a whole month of detentions with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Leave."

The three didn't need any further instructions. They hastened from the room, leaving without the item that might have aided Harry in whatever God-forsaken quest he was on.

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	7. Hope From the Outside

**I don't own them.**

"_We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided." __**Dumbledore **_

They all crowded into the small cabin. Neville, Ginny, and Luna sat down in the large chairs that Hagrid offered. Seamus leaned against the doorframe, his face an ugly shade of purple, his eyes half-closed as his hand reached down to pet Fang. Even the walk to the cabin had winded him. John, Dave, and Mickey assumed kneeling positions in front of the fire, where they proceeded to roast their bruised and bleeding hands.

Hagrid was bustling around, banging a pot-full of boiling tea on the table, sending most of the water spraying into the air. "I thought I told you lot not to get any more detentions!" his voice was loud, and Neville winced a little.

"Sorry, Hagrid." Seamus said automatically. He was slowly sinking to the floor, his legs no longer enough to hold him up. Fang licked him and whined sadly.

A look of pain and worry crossed Hagrid's face and he offered a large, greenish-brown steak to Seamus, who looked from the meat to the man, wondering if he had gone mad. "For your face. It'll help with the swelling.

Turning back to the room at large, Hagrid frowned slightly. "So, how did you lot get in trouble this time?"

Neville waved his hands towards the boys in front of the fire and Seamus in front of the door. "Ask them. I still haven't been able to get the whole story out."

It was Dave who started speaking, the words tumbling out of his mouth as if he couldn't' hold them in any longer. "I heard somebody talking about a radio program, Professor. Something about Harry. So I started asking them about it. Only they were Slytherin, you see."

Hagrid nodded, his face a look of remembrance and resignation. "So you were defendin' Harry, weren't you?"

Dave nodded. "We were in the hallway, and it kind of attracted a lot of attention. These idiots ―" he gestured to his brother and friends. "Decided that they needed to help. Carrow was walking by, of course. He gave us detention. Whips, again."

"Let me guess." Ginny said, her knuckles turning white as she squeezed her teacup. "The Slytherins got away with everything?"

"Yeah." Mickey said, his face disgusted. A soft sound infiltrated the silence. Neville looked up in surprise as he saw a small radio balanced on a three-legged stool.

Hagrid, seeing what they were looking at, smiled and turned it up. "This is what I wanted you lot to hear. I think you'll like it."

"...another unexpected round of house calls caused our temporary absence from the airwaves." A calm voice explained. Ginny sucked in a breath, recognizing the boy's voice immediately.

"Lee. That's Lee Jordan!" Her mind went through a thousand scenarios at once. Her brothers' best friend with his own radio program...of course Fred and George would be in on it...stupid boys, they could be hurt for all she knew, no mail had gotten in to the Gryfindors for ages.

Hagrid motioned for her to be quiet as they listened, happy to hear an outside voice. "I'm pleased to say that we have a couple of regular contributors on this frigid evening. Hello, boys!"

"Hey." Said two voices at once. Ginny groaned softly. Of course it was Fred and George. At the same time, her heart swelled. They were doing the same thing they were, opposing Voldemort one evening at a time.

Hagrid beamed at her, seeing her shocked expression. "Thought you'd like to hear from them. I kno' that no letter's be'n gettin' in lately, and this is almos' as good, right?"

Ginny nodded wordlessly. Around her, she saw Seamus and Neville exchange shocked smiles, heard Dave being shushed by his brother as he shouted. It was so unexpected...none of them had thought of life outside of Hogwarts. It had never even occurred to Ginny that others were against the new Ministry and their regime.

"...and with the Ministry's crack down on blood-status getting tougher, we once again urge anyone who is of Muggle descent to go in hiding or get out of the country. It's not worth it to die for pride..." Ginny snorted, knowing that Lee was Muggle-born himself. A wave of pain washed over her. She wished he'd take his own advice.

They watched the radio so closely, Ginny half-expected to see her brothers sitting there. Like she could just reach out and touch them. Even Luna was silent, her large, orb-like eyes trained on the tiny radio. "..and to our friends at Hogwarts, if they're listening, we would like to commend the group known as Dumbledore's Army and to remind them to please―" she could hear the earnestness in Fred's (or was it George's?) voice, as if he knew that she was listening, "please, don't get caught."

The program lasted for a few more minutes before signing off with promises to return (the password was "The DA"). When it ended, they all gazed at each other, speechless, unable to express in words the rekindled spirit at the thought of allies. It was a new hope.

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	8. Departures and Panic

_  
_**Wish I owned them.**

_I will only truly have left this school none here are loyal to me. __**Dumbledore**_

Seamus carried one of Neville's bags over his shoulder. They were walking down to the Hogwarts Express, which would take Neville, Ginny, and Luna back to their families. Very few people were staying behind this year. Unfortunately, Seamus, Mickey, John, and David were the unlucky ones who were.

"Wish I could stay." Neville said softly, his words breaking the cold air.

Seamus looked at him, wondering if he'd gone mad. "No you don't. You want to get away from this madhouse and see your family. I would do the same, but me mam... me mam has enough problems, with my sister and all." Seamus was quiet after that, and Neville didn't push that subject. Seamus' oldest sister had died two weeks ago. They had read her obituary in the _Daily Prophet_. Still, no mail was getting in or out, for the most part, and no one was allowed to leave school, so Seamus had grieved alone.

Neville glanced back over his shoulder at the once-inviting castle. "I don't want to stay for the classes or the school. I'm..." he stopped, round cheeks slowly becoming red. "I'm afraid about what will happen to you and Mickey and them. You guys are too reckless."

Seamus accepted this. A year ago, he would have found it odd to be such good friends with the forgetful, clumsy boy beside him, but the boy he had known was gone. Neville was a strong leader and a good friend. "We wouldn't do anything stupid without your say-so, captain." Seamus said, trying to lighten the mood.

Neville laughed. He took his bag from Seamus. They had reached the station, with the red engine waiting. Neville looked at it, waving to Ginny who was already on board with Luna. Then he turned back to Seamus.

Seamus ignored the proffered hand and hugged Neville. "Don't you be doing anything stupid either." He said roughly before realizing the boy. Neville smiled, getting on the train when the whistle sounded. "I'll find out everything I can." Neville promised, "And I'll send this." He waved the letter Seamus had written to his family. He waved from the window as the train departed.

Seamus walked back up to the school, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. The only time he had ever stayed over for Christmas was fourth year for the Yule Ball. Seamus laughed at the memory, remembering how he and Dean had...

He shook his head. He had managed to keep thoughts of Dean away, knowing that if he thought of his best friend for any length of time, he'd be wondering if he was okay, where he was...if he was alive.

A wave of sadness his him and Seamus, now used to grief, let it overwhelm him for a moment. He stopped walking, taking a deep breath as he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling nothing but the sorrow. Then he pushed it away and continued along the path.

Seamus was only just inside the front doors of Hogwarts when his sleeve was grabbed. Letting himself be dragged to a small deserted corridor, Seamus finally turned to his abductor.

John stood before him, his dark hair standing out against his pale skin. Looking further into the corridor, Seamus spotter Mickey.

"What's going on?" Seamus asked, "Why're we hiding?"

John looked worried, and he kept glancing around as if expecting another person to appear. "Carrow's on the warpath, and it's serious this time, Seamus. I think he's really going to hurt someone."

"For what?" Seamus was worried, going over a list of everyone still left in the castle. Snape and both of the Carrows had stayed, and so had Professor McGonagal, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid. A few Ravenclaw second years were left, along with an assortment of Hufflepuffs. Both Creevey brothers were in Gryffindor. All the Slytherins were gone.

"Remember what we wrote on the second-floor staircase?" Mickey asked.

Seamus nodded. Last night he and Mickey had etched "Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting." Down the length of the staircase, knowing it'd attract a lot of attention from those leaving for the holidays.

"He found it, and he blew up. He's crazy, said he'd lock us in the dungeon. Collin Creevey heard him, and told us."

Seamus nodded. Carrow knew, or at least suspected, who the leaders of the DA were, and the group was growing larger every week. "But where's David?" he looked around the small corridor, making quite sure John's little brother wasn't with them.

"I don't know." John sounded angry and frustrated and extremely sad. "I have no idea."

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	9. Promises

**I own it not.**

_"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love."_

Seamus was in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

He had never been in any Common Room but his own since he'd been in the school, though he knew of plenty of people who had. Harry and Ron, for one, were always glad to share their experiences in the Slytherin Common Room.

And he didn't want to be alone. Gryffindor had the least amount of people staying (three, including him.) He also didn't want to leave Mickey and John. When they were angry, he never could predict what they would do next.

So he was sitting next to the fire at the base of the statue of Ravenclaw. Alone in the early hours of the morning, the three boys stayed close together in the spacious room. It really was a beautiful dorm, but the beauty was lost tonight.

John was shaking in anger, his knuckles white in his clenched fists. "He...he...I can't believe it." He was pacing in front of the fire, Mickey and Seamus both watching sympathetically.

"We know, John, and it's mad. Completely mental. But there's nothing we can do unless you have a death wish." Seamus was rarely the voice of reason but he felt that if he didn't say something John would explode.

He did anyway. Spinning around, eyes wide with frustration and hurt, the younger boy lashed out. "It's my brother he's got! Dave's there because of me...because of a stupid prank. And it's late... or early...and he's not back yet." Tears threatened to spill over but John wiped them away impatiently before collapsing next to Seamus at the base of the statue.

"I promised," he started quietly, the words barely a whisper. "I promised my mum that I'd take care of Dave, because there's all this crazy stuff going on and he just doesn't _think_. I promised that I wouldn't let him get hurt."

Mickey, who had been leaning against the window, came back and sat on the other side of his friend. "It's not your fault, John. Carrow's crazy, you know that. Even if we hadn't written that one of us would be in detention."

"And it should be me." Seamus said forcefully. "Not Dave."

John wiped away another set of tears, looking at his watch. "It's almost four in the morning. He should be back by now, none of us have ever gotten back after midnight."

As if he'd heard his brother, the door to the Common Room swung open and Dave came through. John and Mickey hurried forward, catching him just before he collapsed. Seamus followed them, sickened at the young boy's appearance. His wrists had what looked like burn marks on them as if he'd been cut by chains or rope. His face, arms, and torso were bleeding and he was shaking like a leaf, cold sweat all over his body.

"Dave." John's voice cracked as he held his younger brother against him, tears finally falling. Mickey left through the door, in search for Madame Pomfrey. Seamus pushed the sweaty hair away from the boy's face. "Why'd they keep him so long?" he asked.

"I don't know." John was scared, holding his brother like a life-line, seeming to be trying to take whatever hurt he had into himself. He looked up at Seamus, his wet eyes angry and hurt. "What's going on?" he choked slightly, looking back down at the boy who hung limp in his arms. "Why do they hate us?"

Seamus looked down at the ground, his fist curling around his wand. He didn't have an answer.

**Please review.**


	10. One Down

_**I own it not.**_

_You place too much importance... on the so-called purity of blood! __**Albus Dumbledore**_

"What?"

They had just finished a DA meeting in the Room of Requirement when Neville and Ginny broke the news to the Ravenclaws. It was Mickey who had screamed the last word, his fists balled at his side in an effort to keep from hitting something.

John, too, was visibly upset. He sat on an old sofa, an arm draped around his younger brother. Dave still bore marks from his night in the hands of Carrow. "This doesn't make any sense. I mean, if they would take anyone, you'd think it would be, like, Ginny, because of her family and all. But Luna..."

"I don't think it was because of the DA." Ginny seemed even more determined to cause mayhem after the holidays. Her family was scattered, no one had heard from Ron or Harry in months, and her father was very close to getting sacked and arrested.

Seamus spoke up then. He had heard all this as soon as Ginny had gotten back. He had been the one who had urged them to call a meeting. "I think it has something to do with her father. I mean, _The Quibbler_ has been printing stuff about Harry for months now. Someone must have caught on by now and wants him to shut up." Neville nodded along with the others. This was a valid point.

David spoke, his voice small and cracking. "Do you even know where she's gone?" his question was met with shakes of heads and the young boy sighed, resting his own head against his brother's chest.

Mickey spoke from a corner. "Personally, I think all this stuff about blood is the most important thing we've heard." He looked around for support, biting his lip.

The meeting had been called primarily as an exchange of information. The DA had been assigned over the holiday to keep an eye out for anything newsworthy. Seamus, John, and Mickey had cautioned them that Carrow was out for the kill now, and their information was no less alarming. Whole wizarding families were being rounded up, and it wasn't only muggle-borns now. Some half-blood had been taken in for "questioning" and hadn't returned.

"I mean, my whole family's half-blood or less. No one's really cared before now. I mean, all of us, all of the school could be in danger, along with all of our families." He looked around again before saying, desperately. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Yeah, it does Mick." Neville got up to his full height, which was just over six feet now. It helped sometimes. "But what can we do? We can't leave school and we can't get messages in or out. We're like prisoners, only at least prisoners get a trial."

"The only thing we can do." Began Ginny, cutting across Neville, "Is to rebel, like we've been doing."

John scowled, bringing his brother even closer. "And that's going so bloody well at the moment."

Ginny didn't look at him, choosing instead to rap steadily on the mute radio near her feet, muttering a string of curses and possible passwords under her breath.

Neville fell to the floor near Ginny. He was tired. His break had been split between the hospital with his parents and his grandmother and aunts and uncles. What was really bizarre was the fact that his grandmother seemed...proud of him. Like he'd finally done something right. His grandmother, on the other hand, had joined one of the outside rebellion groups.

Dave alerted them all to the fact that it was late by yawning loudly. He wriggled out of his brother's grip and stood up. Looking around at them he said sleepily, simply. "I miss Looney."

Neville nodded. "Me too, kid."

**Review.**


	11. Feeling Rebellious

**I own it not.**

_"The thing about growing up with Fred and George is that you begin to think anything's possible if you've got enough nerve." **Ginny**_

Ginny was on a mission.

Clutched in her hand were two of the Peruvian thingies that made a noise when you let them go. In her pocket were several of the smaller fireworks and she was carrying a small box that contained the new-and-improved swamp. Fred and George had given them to her for Christmas, making her swear that she wouldn't get caught if she used them.

Thinking of her brothers only made Ginny walk faster. She had only seen the twins and Charlie over the holidays and the Burrow had seemed...quiet. Kingsley, Tonks, and Lupin had come for Christmas, but otherwise it was just Ginny, and that scared her. Whenever she did see her brothers, and it was Fred and George more often than not, they were different. More serious than she had ever seen them. They were no longer working at the joke shop they had worked so hard to get. Instead they were traveling with Lee.

The nightmares had come back after break. Dreams of her brothers or Harry or even Neville or Mickey or John dead or being tortured or dying while she stood and watched. She was powerless in these dreams, and she'd wake up screamng into the nearly deserted dorm. Only Con was left in their dorm that used to hold five girls. The two of them often stayed up with each other, or ended up sharing a bed even though they were sixteen years old. It was better tha way, and the nightmares came less often.

But Con wasn't with her today. She had been scared off the DA after she'd heard what happened to Davey. No one was with her. Ginny knew she was being stupid and silly, that she should have asked one of the boys along to help her. It really was a two person job.

Instead, she squeezed her hand holding the 'noisemakers', ducking her head as she passed a portrait, afraid that its occupant would give her away. She drew in a deep, rattling breath. This was it. She had to do it now.

Her body was tense, one arm outstretched, the other jammed in her back pocket when Colin Creevey turned the corner, walking with Dave Growe. Ginny groaned, trying to look normal as she waited for the two friends to pass, hoping that they didn't notice her.

"You go on ahead, Colin," The fourth-year stopped next to Ginny. Colin kept walking, though his head was turned curiously. Just before he reached the end of the corridor he said, barely audibly, "Be careful, Dave, or your brother will have my head. You too, Gin." Then he was gone, though Ginny knew that he would tell Neville what was going on as soon as she saw him.

"Get out of here, Dave." Ginny made her voice low and cold, her eyes locking on the Ravenclaw's defient ones. "This doesn't have anything to do with you."

Dave crossed his arms. Ginny looked at them, trying to remember not to wince. She always wanted to look away when she saw the burns and cuts on his small body. It was the same reaction she had when she looked at George's ear. "Do you want to get away with this, or do you want to get detention?"

Ginny cringed at the thought. She had managed to avoid detention since the getting back from holiday and she'd heard it was worse than ever. Ernie McMillian, a nice Hufflepuff in Harry's year, had gotten detention the previous day. Ginny had seen him in Transfiguration, a class now shared by all NEWT students. Ernie was covered in dark bruises and his face was puffy and swollen. He could barely talk. The look on Professor McGonagal's face...

Knowing that they'd have to do this quick and remembering her promises she'd made to her brothers and her parents and Harry, she thrust the Decory Detenators into his waiting arms. "Stay here. I have to let the fireworks off near the stairs." seeing the rebellious look she had become so familiar with over the past months, she added, "I'm a _pureblood_, Dave. They still recognize that." She turned her back on him, sorry that she had to bring up the terrible aubject of blood-status, and hurried away.

"Ten seconds!" she called over her shoudlers. Then she blanked her mind.

Ginny had liked with Fred and George for sixteen years. She knew that in order to pull a good trick off you needed to be able to do three things. 1) Set a diversion, which was currently Dave and the Decoy Detenators. 2) Drop the 'weapons', perform the curse, ect. (her fireworks, of course) and 3) Run like hell.

BANG! Ginny heard the cound just before she reached the staircase. She threw the fireworks over the banister, whipping out her wand and performing the necessary jinxes to animate them. Then she ran.

She met Mickey in the Room of Requirement, now looking like a broom cupboard. "What..?" she began, before he clapped a hand over his mouth. "I heard the fireworks. I didn't want to take the chance of getting caught." They were both quiet for a second as pounding feet ran past the door. "Who else?" he whispered, just loud enough for Ginny to hear.

"Just Dave," she muttered back. "But he's fine." she was trying to convince them both.

They were quiet for a second before Mickey asked, quietly, "You get those fireworks from Fred and George?" Ginny wasn't sure whether he saw her nod or not but he let out a low whistle anyway. Ginny smothered a laugh, which Mickey covered again with his hand.

When they finally emerged from the broom cupboard, two gigantic, identical red dragons swooped down the corridor.

**Review?**


	12. The Hospital Wing

**I don't own Harry**

_"Pain...you don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you know the Cruciatus Curse." **Mad-Eye**_

Neville had been talking with Justin finch-Fletchly when the fireworks went off. Neville's mind jumped to several different, horrifying conclusions and he ordered Justin to get to his Common Room as fast as he could. Taking a deep breath, Neville did something incredibly stupid.

He went towards the commotion.

He had to fight students all the way there. Everyone knew now that went something like this happened (and it was almost a daily thing for the "new" Hogwarts) to get out of the way. Fast. Or you'd regret it.

But Neville knew that some, like Ginny or Seamus, were stupid enough to stand and fight. And he had to get them out of there.

In a side corridor, Neville ran into Seamus. Literally. He bounced backwards when they both toppled over. Scrambling to his feet, Neville seized his friend under the armpits and hauled him to his feet. "Who else?" he bellowed, trying to talk over the noise of the fireworks.

Seamus shook his head and started running when Alecto Carrow appeared around the corner. In a second, both Neville and Seamus found themselves looking up at her from where her trip jinx brought them to the ground. She came up to Neville, her dark eyes tracing over his face hungrily. "Two for detention tonight," she murmured. her voice made the tiny hairs ont he back of Neville's neck stand on end.

Minutes later, Neville found himself chained to the wall in the dungeon. Next to him, Seamus was struggling uselessly against his bonds, his face set and determined. If Neville was honest with himself, he would admit he was scared. He hadn't gotten detention since before break, and he knew they'd gotten worse. Seamus was living testimony to that.

As soon as the door closed behind Carrow, Neville started speaking to Seamus. "Seamus...look at me, Seamus." The boy met Neville's eyes. His face was hard, though the expression was obsured behind the red swelling caused by previous nights in detention. "Please don't do anything stupid, Seamus." Neville didn't know what they'd do to them for setting off fireworks, but he knew it would probably be painful. Seamus would only be hurting himself by saying anything.

"So we just...wait here?" Neville looked at Seamus for conformation.

He nodded, eyes trained on the door, his voice just above a whisper. "They want to see if they can get anyone else.Plus they like us hanging here. At least it's late. One time, Mickey got detention at, like, eight in the morning. He was sitting in here all day." It made Neville sick to hear these things described to him by his friend. In such a matter-of-fact way that anyone would believe this had been going on their whole life.

A lot had changed.

They stood, chained to the wall, for a little over two hours, according to Seamus's watch. Neville spent the time trying to make Seamus calm down. Never that good at telling jokes, he reverted to stories, surprising himself with how many he could tell. He had just finished recounting the Department of Mysteries when Alecto Carrow walked in, Crabbe and Goyle in tow.

"It appears some people," Alecto began, her voice low and frightening, "Think it's acceptable to set off fireworks in my school." Neville wanted to point out that it wasn't her school, but he remained silent.

Carrow came up to Neville, her wand pointing at his chest. "I will make it easier on the boy if you tell me the names of the other people in your little group."

Neville spat at her.

Before he realized what was happening, a thousand white-hot pins were being stuck into his chest. He opened his mouth but didn't scream. He wouldn't give Carrow the satisfaction. The curse continued and Neville was being pierced with swords. A scream came out of his mouth just as the curse ended.

"Fortunately for you, Longbottom, you have the privilege of being a Pureblood." Carrow looked enraged by this fact. Her eyebrows were pressed close together as if she wished she could torture Neville longer. Just as she looked as if she would forget about blood and kill Neville anyway, she seemed to remember something. "But this boy isn't."

"No!" For Carrow was about nod to Crabbe, who had raised his wand in delight, pointing directly at Seamus. Seamus was looking directly at Carrow, his eyes hard, his mouth moving to form words Seamus could barely hear, _"bite me_." "No, please..." he started, before Carrow grinned wickedly and nodded at Crabbe.

"_Sectumsempra!"_ The curse hit Seamus in the chest and he cried out in sudden pain and fear. Neville looked at him, horrified. He'd never seen anything like it...three cuts like knife wounds opened on Seamus's already broken body and started bleeding fast.

Carrow looked angry at first and seemed to be about to yell at Crabbe before she thought better of it. She marched out the dungeon door, leaving Crabbe and Goyle to follow her, laughing maniacally.

The chains released Neville as soon as they left and he knelt on the ground next to Seamus, who was continuing to scream. Without the chains holding him up he had slumped to the floor. His eyes desperately sought Neville for reassurance.

Neville didn't know what to do. There was blood...so much blood...he fumbled for his wand, aiming it at the largest of the gashes, the one that sliced across his chest. _"Episky_."He shouted, knowing the spell was nowhere near strong enough. The edges of the wound were drawn closer together but blood still poured through it.

Abandoning spells, Neville bundled Seamus into his arms the same way he had picked Hermione up two years ago in the Department of Mysteries. He shouldered open the dungeon door and sprinted up the stairs to the hospital wing, praying he wasn't too late.

Madame Pomfrey gasped when she saw Seamus. Neville placed him on a bed, turning to her feverishly. "Help him!" He said, his voice much louder than he'd intended.

Already Madame Pomfrey had performed several complicated spells that Neville couldn't keep track of. He watched as the matron attempted to close the gigantic wounds afflicted to Seamus.He felt like he should do something to comfort the boy, whose eyes had been reduced to slits of pain, tears leaking out of them at intervals. A low moan made Neville clutch one of Seamus's hand in his own. He squeezed it as hard as he dared, hoping that this boy...his unexpected best friend since the beginning of the school year...would survive what a twisted teacher did to him.

Later...how much later Neville didn't know...but later, after Madame Pomfrey had declared she had done everything she could for Seamus and laid him in a bed, informing Neville that he would be staying in the Hospital wing for at least three days, the door to the Hospital Wing burst open. Ginny flew in first, her face covered in tears, followed immediately by Mickey, John, and Dave.

"Seamus!" Ginny nearly shouted the word. She knelt down next to Seamus's bed.

"What's going on?" Neville asked, a little angry, rounding on the boys. "It's nearly nine, you have to be in your dormitories!"

"So do you." Mickey pointed out, dropping into a chair next to Seamus and looking at the boy. "We're his friends too, Neville."

Ginny was still crying. Neville patted her shoulder awkwardly. He had never seen Ginny cry before, and she had been so tough since she got back from Holiday. "This is all my fault!" She said between tears, and she and Dave managed to explain the whole thing.

At the end, Neville sighed and continued the narrative with what had happened down in the dungeons.When he looked up, John looked disgusted. Ginny had her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide, her body shaking.

"_Sectumsempra."_ She said, almost to herself. "That's what Snape used to curse George's ear off."

"What?" They all looked at her looked at her. She hadn't mentioned this bit of information to them in their many long nights of abusing Snape.

Before Ginny could explain, Madame Pomfrey came out of her office, her arms full of potions. She took a long look at the group situated around Seamus's bed before heaving a great sigh and saying, at length. "You'd all beter stay here tonight. We don't want any more detentions."

Neville fell asleep in the chair next to Seamus's bed, his hand still clutching the boy's. When his eyes finally closed, it was to blurred pictures of the faces of the DA and a red-headed boy getting his ear cursed off.

**Review?**


	13. Slowing Down

**I don't own them, of course. Bonus: I got two quotes for anyone out there still reading this. One came to me while I was writing, and has nothing to do with Harry. The other is all Potter.**

_"It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are." __**Sam **__**Gamgee**_

_"It's important to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then can you keep evil at bay, though never quite eradicated." __**Dumbledore**_

A bad January turned into an even worse February.

The DA was slowly deteriorating. Neville saw it happening before his eyes. The faces of the teens grew haggard as they endured endless nights of torture at the hands of the Carrows. It came to the point where Neville had to make a special announcement at a meeting.

"Listen, guys." Neville stood up. The group had been called in a hope that they might catch an episode of Potter Watch, but they had only gotten a fly-by announcement that it was unsafe to use the airwaves at the moment. There had been sides of fighting in the background, and Ginny had shivered, though Neville was sure he was the only one who had noticed.

"Guys…" Suddenly everyone was looking at them. Their numbers had expanded to hover around twenty-eight members, nearly identical to the number in the original DA. So much had changed. Taking a great gulp of air, Neville decided to just get it all out. "I don't think that anyone under fifth year should do this anymore."

An explosion that Neville had been expecting erupted, and the boy cringed, though recovered himself easily. "You guys are easier targets, and the way the detentions are now you're hurt even more." He forced his voice into a calm, but non-negotiable tone.

He got two supporters to this immediately. One he had been expecting --- John had been fighting tooth and nail to get his brother out of detentions. He had once even gone to illegal Polyjuice-making to take the detention for him. When Neville found out about that, he exploded, but that was neither here nor there. Anyway, John was the first to stand by his side, sending an icy glare towards Dave that threatened the younger to challenge him.

The second supporter was one that Neville would have never expected. Seamus got to his feet immediately, nodding. Neville couldn't quite control his features --- in fact, he openly gaped at his friend. Seamus was reckless, had amounted more detentions than Neville and Ginny and John put together, and didn't seem to care that his body was slowly becoming layered with bruises.

Out of the corner of his eye, Neville could see several sixth and seventh years trying to placate the younger ones. He was glad that they saw reason. They shouldn't waste unnecessary lives.

"You don't understand!" Neville looked down at a slim black girl who he knew was a fourth year. Her name was…Charlotte?.. and she was in Hufflepuff. "You don't understand --- we need to do this. We have to fight!"

"No, you don't." Neville had done the math the night before. With just the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, the DA still had seventeen members, more than enough to do a heck of a lot of damage. They would be able, at least, to "go down swinging" as Dean would say. "You guys don't have to fight, there are enough of us to keep Snape and the Carrows busy."

The girl shook her head, sending meticulously crafted cornrows swinging. "My sisters are both in Azkaban, out there," she jerked her head towards the wall, indicating with one movement the entire world. "They're fighting. Until now, I was too."

"You can't…" John's words had a desperate quality to them, and Seamus saw him cast several looks at his brother. "This isn't the way it's supposed to be."

"Nothing's the way it's supposed to be, innit?" Dennis Creevey piped up from behind his brother's elbow. Colin was a sixth year, of course, but Dennis was only in fourth. "Everything's all wrong. That's why we're fighting in the first place."

"I know!" Neville was shocked himself by the bellow that quieted the room. Forcibly lowering his voice and casting an anxious glance at the Foe-Glass, he continued, "I know that's why we started, but things are getting really bad now. I don't want you all getting cut up. _Please. _Stay out of it. It'll make things easier for us older ones to get things done."

Some of the younger ones looked persuaded, but others still looked out for blood. From behind him, Neville heard John sigh. Dave would never give up on his attempts to help his brother.

And maybe that was the way it should be. They would keep fighting – oh, Neville stood by his decision to keep the younger ones out of it --- but they would keep fighting. Because it was them, only them, against everyone else. Against the world.

And maybe, just maybe, what they were doing could make a difference.

**Review?**


	14. Support Harry Potter

**I own it not.**

_"I will only have truly left this school when none who remain are loyal to me."__**Dumbledore**_

Neville nearly screamed, though he knew that would have been a stupid thing to do.

March was worse than any Neville could remember. An early Easter had made the school nearly empty, though this time Neville stayed behind. The DA was being warn thin, Neville's unpopular rule about no one under fifth year helping being followed, mostly. But he suspected that what he was holding might give a jolt to everyone's spirit.

"A Support Harry Potter Party?" Neville hissed. Colin Creevey smiled and shook his head, pretending like he was paying attention to his homework. They were in the Great Hall, because of one of the many, many rules the Carrows had imposed. Four hours of mandatory study time a day, in the Great Hall. Just another way to make sure they were under the supervision of Voldemort at all times.

Colin looked positively giddy. The sixth-year had grown up a lot during the year…all of them had…and this was one of the few times Neville had seen him really happy all year. He remembered back in second year when Colin used to _idolize_ Harry and he smiled despite himself.

"What does Hagrid think he's doing?" Neville said, partly impressed by the half-giant's nerve and partly incredulous that he'd do such a stupid stunt. "He's one of the few things around here that are still decent." Neville thought morosely of all the things they were missing out on this year…no Quidditch, teachers that hated them, terrible classes, cruel detentions, and no Harry, no Dean or Ron or Hermione or the hundred or so other kids who couldn't or wouldn't come back…but even Neville knew that this was self-pity. Harry and them were probably in even worse situations, if they weren't in Azkaban by now.

It was another hour before Neville could talk to Seamus about it. "A Potter Party." Seamus snorted, shaking his head. "Well, Harry would be right happy. What would he say if he knew Hagrid was doing this?"

Neville had to laugh at the very thought of Harry knowing that Hagrid was throwing a party in support of him. "He'd probably turn red, like Ron does." His smile faded at the thought of his friends. After months of avoiding thinking about them, he had conditioned himself to believe that there really wasn't outside of Hogwarts. There was no Harry, no prophesy, no…anything.

Was that letting the Carrows win?

Deciding to think about that later, Neville turned returned his attention to Seamus once again, who had conjured his Patronus --- a lumbering brown bear --- and was stroking it carefully, his expression distant. Maybe he was thinking about Dean. "So, you going?"

"Where?" Seamus instantly brightened, remembering the beginning of the conversation. "Oh, definitely, mate. You're coming with me."

Neville put on a mock-injured expression. "I wonder who else knows about this?" he asked, mostly to himself.

The question was answered after sunset. Neville and Seamus had an easier time sneaking out of the building than they would have a year ago. The secret passages were blocked up, and the security was tighter than ever (most students thought it was to keep stuff _in _rather than _out_) but the two had learned so many tricks that year that they knew exactly how to get passed the Sensory Spells.

It was only when they got to Hagrid's little cabin that they realized exactly how many people knew about the party. Some mini-Hermione had cast a glamour so the outside of the cabin looked normal, but on the inside…

The party was full of DA members, and even some kids outside of the DA. Neville got quite a few "hellos" and managed to catch a glimpse of the Patil twins, Hannah Abbot, and Ernie McMillan before he was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "Knew you'd come, Neville." Hagrid boomed, then let him go. Neville massaged his ribs as he smiled up at Hagrid. "This is so stupid, Hagrid."

Hagrid waved a hand. "Nah, it's important. I seen you all. Your spirit's been running a bit low."

Mickey pressed a bottle of Butterbeer into his hand. "Cheers, Nev!" he said, his voice loud over the noise. Neville hoped someone had cast a silencing charm around the cabin. Trying to smile, he raised the bottle to his lips. The warm liquid made him feel instantly better, and he started remembering other parties, similar to this one. After a Quidditch match, or to celebrate the end or term. They hadn't had a party all year.

Lavender Brown came over to him, beaming. "Isn't this great, Neville?" she said, nearly bouncing with excitement. "We haven't had a party in ages!"

_Yeah, ever since __Voldemort's__ been running the country.__ We should have celebrated that, shouldn't we?_ But he kept his opinion to himself. No reason to spoil everyone's good mood.

The party was surprisingly nice. Everyone was so eager for a happy event that it went on full speed for hours. Denis Creevey had brought along a small box of the Weasley's fireworks and them off before Hagrid could yell at him for nearly burning his house down. It wasn't until nearly midnight that the party started breaking up.

Most people had gone and it was only Seamus, Neville, Lavender, Mickey, and Colin left with Hagrid to help clear up. Lavender was just repairing a cracked vase near the window when she let out a shriek. "Oh…they're coming!"

And in one sentence, all of Neville's fear were coming back to him. It was so stupid to throw a Potter Party in the first place…they'd all get caught, and Neville didn't even want to _think_ about how bad that detention would be. He looked up at Hagrid, hoping he had a plan.

He did. Going to the front door, he called Fang over to him. "You lot go out the back and run into the woods. The centaurs have been a rotton bunch lately, but they hate the Carrows more than you do, they'll protect you for the night."

Neville nodded, ushering the others to the back door. Hagrid threw open his door suddenly, with surprising force, and Neville inched open theirs, slipping through it in a second.

Wincing at the bright lights that suddenly illuminated the night, Neville ran until they were in the relative safety of the Forbidden Forest. He looked around, making sure they were all together. Seamus was nearest to him, and his face shone white in the light of the sickle moon.

A low wail of a dog proceeded an angry roar from Hagrid. Neville heard the thundering of Hagrid's gigantic footfalls, then silence.

Glancing around, Neville noticed that everyone in their small clearing was shaking, and not from cold. Someone else had gone, and they had lost another alley from Hogwarts.

**Review?**


	15. Collapse

**I don't own them.**

"_That which he does not value, Voldemort takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence he knows and understands nothing. Nothing." __**Dumbledore **_

The DA was over.

Neville struggled to keep the people they had, and they all seemed to be disappearing. Luna had left in December and now Ginny was gone. He didn't know if she had been captured by Death Eaters or if she had decided not to come back. Either way, he and Seamus were the only ones left to run things.

At times Neville believed that the Carrows had won. He had overheard a first year tell a friend that there had never been an Albus Dumbledore. He was a made up character, like the Three Brothers.

That had made Neville angry. Angry at the Carrows for having control over them so completely. Even the DA's nightly raids had stopped in light of even worse detentions. The physical and mental abuse was more than some of the younger kids could bear.

Like last week, when Neville and some of the older DA had gotten wind of a first year being chained up in the dungeons. First years had never been kept in the dungeons for a whole night. Three people had stood up immediately to go break him out, a normal thing for the older ones to do. Seamus and Mickey were only half-way out of their seats when Michael Corner suddenly sprinted out the door.

Michael had been volatile since Ginny had left, displaying the same measure of recklessness as Seamus had done -- was still doing -- after Dean's departure. His flying to the rescue of a first-year didn't surprise anyone, though it did worry them.

It was fifteen minutes before the first-year got back, breathing heavily. He told them how he had just barely gotten out -- Michael had shielded him. But now Michael was being tortured, and it was worse than ever before.

And -- this was the worst part -- Neville didn't believe him. There was no way anything could be worse than what they'd been going through. There was nothing the Carrows hadn't done, no level to which they hadn't stooped…

He was wrong. Michael wasn't seen until the next evening and…Neville could barely describe it.

They were in the Room of Requirement. It had almost taken the place of Common Rooms. It was where they all felt safe. Michael went there first. When he first came in, Neville first thought was "why is there a corpse in the Room?"

It took him only a few more seconds to realize what he was looking at. "Get the young ones out, now." He hissed to Seamus. Seamus nodded, though confused. He hadn't noticed Michael's entrance. He ushered the young ones away.

Ernie McMillian was the first one to him. Ernie was bigger than any of them and was able to carry the tall sixth-year to a couch. He laid him down and the rest gathered around. Lavender started crying. Padme and Parvarti clutched each other. Even Neville blanched as he looked down at him.

A long gash stretched from forehead to chin, half-healed, with blood still coming out. His wrist was broken and several fingers. His eyes were half-closed, though he was breathing through his swollen mouth. His nose was broken. Neville didn't even try to lift up the shirt -- it was stained with blood and sticking to the young boy's body. "Justin." He said, realizing his voice was shaking. "Justin, get Madam Pomfrey. Quick!"

The seventh-year nodded and exited the door immediately. By now, the younger children had caught on. The first years looked terrified, the second years disgusted…it kept going. One small boy came over and wove his fingers inside Michael's. It took Neville several seconds before he realized it was the boy from the detention. The first year.

"Thank you." They were simple words, but they were filled with such gratitude and emotion that Neville wanted to turn his head away, afraid he was intruding on something private. The boy stayed by Michael's side until the door opened again.

Neville straightened up all the way. The nurse was used to midnight calls, but no adult had ever been in the DA room. Madam Pomfrey took one look at Micheal on the couch (he hadn't opened his eyes, nor made any sign that he was, in fact still alive) and took out her wand, levitating Michael as she walked back out of the room. The first-year boy went after her, one hand still clutching Micheal's darker one.

She hadn't said a word, but Neville had seen it in the witch's eyes. The same feeling he'd had when he first saw Michael, half-dead in the doorway. _They've gone too far_.

Too far. They could have killed him -- he could be dying even now.

And there was nothing they could do about it.

**Review?**


	16. Threats

"_It is our choices who show who we are, far more than our abilities."__**Dumbledore**_

It was the end of April when things started spiraling out of control.

Everything that could possibly happen all happened on one day. In was a Tuesday and it was raining. It rained a lot that year. The rain made everything look even worse than it already was. Everyone looked more tired, more scared, more unwilling to believe that anything good could ever happen.

Neville was walking over the grounds away from the greenhouses. The rain came down just hard enough to make everyone stay inside. He pulled his robes up so they wouldn't get as muddy, knowing it was hopeless and hoping he wouldn't track mud over Filch's perfect floor.

Because of the rain and wind, Neville kept his head bowed, which was why he didn't see the figure until he was right on top of him. "Neville!"

"What?" something in Mickey's voice made Neville's blood run cold. Something had happened. Something bad. At once, everything flashed through his mind. Harry had been captured…Voldemort had started killing masses…the Carrows had unleashed a different form of detention…

Mickey was dripping wet, his dark hair plastered against his head. He was also shivering, though Neville doubted it was from the weather. "Neville…the Carrows…John…" it was almost as if he had forgotten how to form a full sentence. Scared now, Neville grasped Mickey's shoulders, realizing vaguely that they were in the center of the long-deserted Quidditch Pitch.

Finally, after taking several deep breaths, Mickey was able to get the story out. "John woke up really early this morning and told me that something was wrong. Really wrong. We went into Dave's dorm and he wasn't there!" he seemed to be trying to put his thoughts in order. "So we decided that maybe he had a detention and waited up for him, but then Professor Flitwick came to us." He swallowed hard, unable to go any further. "He said that the Carrows are under order to…hurt…the families of the people who aren't behaving."

Neville started walking toward the castle, fast. This was beyond anything that the Carrows had done so far. "Do you know where they took him?" Neville asked, looking swiftly at Mickey. In his head, he was formulating a plan. Who was causing the most trouble in the DA? Him, of course, and Mickey, John, and Seamus. The four of them would definitely be at the top of any list of the Carrows.

"Neville, you've got to hide!" Mickey said, obviously panicking now. "You're the one they're after. We've been looking for you all morning, they probably were too."

"I'm not going to hide." Neville said simply. He couldn't, not when the others were in so much more danger. He knew exactly what was happening -- the Death Eaters had found that using children to make their parents do what they wanted worked. They might try doing it the other way around. "Mickey, do you have any family?"

Mickey skidded in a mud puddle and would have gone down if Neville hadn't caught him. "Only my dad, but he'd a muggle, and my brother, but he's in America." He had picked up on what the Death Eaters were doing too. Again, he pleaded with Neville. "You've got to hide, Nev. They'll kill you!"

Suddenly, Neville found that he didn't care. He needed to get the others taken care of first. "Mickey, I need you to contact the DA. Tell them to stay in their dormitories no matter what. The Carrows can't get in there unless one of the teachers tell them, and I don't think they will." His mind was going at a hundred miles an hour when he suddenly turned around.

"Where are you going?" Mickey called, stopping.

Neville motioned for him to keep going to the castle. "I need to get Seamus!"

Seamus and Neville had Herbology together but where Neville had started going back to the school after class, Seamus had said he wanted to stay.

He skidded up to the third greenhouse, noticing that Neville was the only one there. Professor Sprout was teaching some firs years in greenhouse one. He opened the door, suddenly bombarded by the humidity that was ever present near the tropical plants. "Seamus, we have to go!"

Seamus, who had been sitting on a table, absently throwing bits of meat to the carnivorous sun-flower, sprang to his feet in an instant. "What happened?"

Without wasting time to explain, Neville grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him towards the door. "Wait a minute, Nev, I need my books." Seamus quickly scooped up his belongs and followed Neville into the gathering storm.

"What's going on?" Seamus asked again, louder this time. Neville knew that Seamus was thinking the exact things he had thought when Mickey had shown up so unexpectedly.

As quickly as he could, Neville told Seamus the situation. He was surprised by Seamus' reaction. "You have to hide!"

"What? No!" Neville cringed as lighting streaked across the sky followed immediately by a loud, rumbling clap of thunder. "You have family outside here, we need to get _you _hidden. They probably want you as much as they want me anyway!"

Seamus jogged a little to keep up with Neville's fast mace. "What about your grandmother?"

For an instant, Neville pictured his gran's house being attacked, then managed to smile wryly. "I would really like to be there when they try to bring her in." Still, he felt sick to his stomach at the thought of his grandmother being hurt.

The rain was hard and steady now. Another bolt of lightning illuminated the castle. Behind them, Neville could just hear Professor Sprout shouting over the wind. "Quickly! It's safer inside!"

Neville ducked his head as a gust of wind threatened to blow them over. He hoped, he really, really hoped it would be safer inside.

**Review?**


	17. Staying in the Room

_"Understanding is the first key to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery." **Dumbledore**_

Neville was almost afraid of what he'd see in the Room of Requirement. Had it turned into a bunker for the whole of the DA? A worse thought stuck in his mind -- Umbridge had known where the Room was. If she had told someone in the Ministry, the Carrows would know. They could take away their last safe place. But that was an irrational thought. They hadn't discovered it yet this year, right?

So Neville was glad when he entered the Room and found only Mickey and John there. John was shaking visibly, Mickey was drenched from the recent excursion into the storm. Neville shook out his hair, the motion sending a shiver down his back that didn't have to do solely with the cold. "John…are you okay?"

The fifteen-year-old looked up at him from beneath his long hair. During the year, Neville had become acquainted with this boy. He was smart, amazingly talented in Transfiguration and Charms and fiercely loyal to his best friend. Most of all, he was over-the-top protective of his younger brother.

Red-rimmed eyes met Neville's. "It worked." John said quietly.

Neville was lost, but Seamus collapsed in a worn seat near John's. "I know. We could've beaten them, too." He let out a deep sigh, his eyes roaming the opposite wall. On a large bulletin board, the DA had assembled a collage of the dead and missing. Of the people who were fighting outside the walls of Hogwarts. All of the Weasleys were on there, Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the center. Dean was off to the left, an old photograph of him and Seamus attached to the board with a Permanent Sticking Charm. "How come the bad guys get to cheat?" Seamus wondered out loud.

Mickey didn't answer him but instead said, dully. "There's nothing we can do, John. We don't know where Dave is --probably Azkaban." He winced as John flinched from the name of the prison. "But if he's still here, they can hurt him if we act out. That's what they want."

John shrugged his friend off, suddenly enraged. "And what are they going to do? Hunt down every member of our families? How does that even make sense?" He looked around at the group. "Seamus, you have brothers, and Neville has his Gran and Mickey..." he fell back into the chair again, defeated.

Seamus spoke up next, his words having the fire and spirit of the old Seamus behind it even as his body showed that he had been defeated. "Neville should stay here, he's the most important . Classes don't matter anymore, do they?" The boys nodded sadly. Classes no longer mattered. They were beyond useless when after class you might be beaten or _Crucio_d within an inch of your life.

"So you stay here, Nev. Me and Mickey will try to keep the DA going. They can't hurt us. Not really." Neville thought he might be the only one to see the short flicker of fear in Seamus's eyes. Seamus had brothers, all much older, all with jobs in the country.

Neville put a hand on Seamus's shoulder. "Seamus, you can't do this." He didn't know if he was the only one to see Seamus staring fixedly at the picture of Dean. Quieter now, Neville leaned down and said, "Dean wouldn't have wanted you to do this."

And Seamus looked at him. Not with the confident, almost cocky look of rebellion he'd had all year but with the scared, childish eyes of someone who didn't know what to do as they were trapped in an impossible position.

"I'll stay here." Neville announced quickly, a tenuous plan forming. "But only if you guys contact McGonagal. She has to know what's going on. She'll take care of the other teachers and you can join me." He looked directly at Seamus, pleading. "For Dean. Please, Seamus."

Seamus nodded, tugging on Mickey's sleeve and they both left the Room. John still stood in the middle, still shaking slightly. Neville went over to him and wasn't surprised when the boy jumped. John didn't look at him as he said, quietly. "It's not fun anymore." He looked at Neville, a sad half-smile on his face. "I know it wasn't ever supposed to be, but me and Mickey were so happy to be in the DA. We were third years last time, and didn't really understand." Like Seamus, John was staring at the wall of pictures. "I guess we don't understand now either."

Neville didn't know what to say. He didn't have brothers or sisters. He didn't know what it felt like to think you'd never see them again. As soon as Neville got a few words in his head and was about to open his mouth, John turned to him, a forced smile on his face. "You can't stay here like this, Nev." He said, gesturing to the Room.

Neville sighed. Why was it so hard for everyone to leave him? But John kept talking.

"I mean, there's no bed. No food. You should probably have some colors in here too. Red and gold?" John started for the door, Neville following him, still lost. "So I'll just leave, you come back in after you've asked for a nice room. One you can sleep in."

At a loss for words, Neville could only squeeze John's shoulder. A fifteen-year-old shouldn't have to do this -- worry about his brother and school and leader. John looked at him, the sad smile still on his face, and nodded. He understood. There was nothing they could do. He understood that, too.

**Review?**


	18. Letters

_"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you..."  
"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?"_ _Harry said quietly._

"Oy, Nev, we have another one!"

Neville glanced over at Michael Corner. The lanky sixth-year was holding a pad of paper with around twenty names scribbled on it. Putting down his book (_A hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi,_ which he was reading for the fiftieth time) he took it from the black boy and scanned the list, giving out a low whistle. "I was wondering how long it would be before Justin got here."

Neville smiled wryly, remembering Justin in their second year. The whole heir-of-Slytherin crap. It all seemed so juvenile compared to what was happening.

He ran a hand over his face, wincing as he touched still-sore bruises. It had been a week since he had come to the Room of Requirement. So much had happened.

Early June was usually a time for cramming for exams. From what people had told him as they trickled in, exams were cancelled. Everyone was moving around the castle as quietly as they could, so they wouldn't attract attention. More siblings had gone missing.

But Neville and the Room were apart from all that. The first people in the Room (and they had joined him six days ago) were Seamus, John, and Mickey. After that had been Lavender brown, Pavarti Patil, and other Gryffindors. Then _everyone_ came.

Luckily, Neville had this room down cold. When Seamus and the others had arrived, he knew he would have to replace the bookshelves and cushions of the original DA room with something to sleep on. Then the girls had insisted on a bathroom. And of course, they needed _the picture_, the one that brought them or Aberforth (Neville couldn't call the man Dumbledore. He just couldn't)

Now, a week later, the room was packed full of people. The Creeveys were in the corner, having escaped here to avoid being separated like John and Dave. Same as t he Patils, who were talking animatedly with a group of girls that included Lavender Brown, Susan Bones, and Hannah Abbot. Seamus was right next to him, flipping idly through a book on soccer that Dean had given him years ago.

The sight of the book ruined Neville's good mood. He sank into his chair (it was _his _chair. He had asked the room specifically for a chair identical to those in from of the Gryffindor fireplace). Sometimes (and he felt really, really bad at these times) he had to remind himself that there were other people out there. Dean, Harry, Ron, Hermione, his Gran...all on the run, all fighting even harder than they were.

He knew that he had come through this year relatively unscathed (physical wounds aside). Seamus had lost his best friend (metaphorically) and his sister (literally). John had lost Dave to who-knows-where. Others were still out there, being hunted, persecuted, dying.

"What's that?" The call was taken up around the room. Neville lifted his head up so quickly it hurt and jumped to his feet, irritating his still-sensitive skin. He pointed his wand blindly at the door, aware of more wands being drawn all around him. At least he had made everyone more paranoid this year...

When he saw the source of the commotion, he pocketed his wand, his eyebrows coming together in the center of his forehead. Numbly, he took it from the newcomer, holding it like it would break.

He hadn't seen Errol in over a year. The bird was as old and decrepit as ever, yet had still managed to get past the many sensors around the school and deliver this letter. Neville deposited the bird into Lavender's hands and took the scroll. He could only assume it was for him. Unraveling it, he found himself holding his breath. He didn't know what he was waiting for...

This wasn't it.

The blank piece of paper seemed to be mocking him. He looked over his shoulder, where Seamus was peering down at the paper as well. "Is this a...joke?" Neville asked quietly, thinking of Fred and George Weasley. Surely even they wouldn't do _this_, though. Risk having a fake letter intercepted, risk contacting them for a prank.

"On the back, Nev." John spoke for the first time in days. Neville nodded to him, deciding to speak to the boy later as he turned the paper over. On the back, written in familiar blocky handwriting, were three words _who He fears._

"Maybe it's a password" Neville thought suddenly. Like the Marauder's Map or Potter Watch. He placed his wand on the blank parchment, feeling excited. The riddle of obvious. _He_ was Voldemort. Everyone knew who Voldemort feared.

"Dumbledore."

The paper did nothing. It remained resolutely blank. Again, the word _joke_ floated through Neville's head. He was aware of all the eyes in the room on his and suddenly felt very foolish, standing with his wand on a blank parchment.

Mickey, having also seen the inscription, said, quietly. "Harry?"

Everything clicked then. Dumbledore was the old rallying point, the one who had started the Order in the first place. But that was seventeen years ago. For this war, the leader was undoubtedly Harry. And Neville said so.

The parchment sprang to life. Neville read it eagerly, hoping for news...any news...

_Neville, _

_You'll be pleased to know that I am in hiding. Staying with the Weasleys, if the bird wasn't a dead giveaway (though dead might be too harsh a word. I hope that poor thing held up for the delivery). I don't know if you read in the papers, but the idiot "Death Eater" Dolohov tried to bring me to Azkaban. Don't worry, that man is far worse than your Gran. I believe he might have underestimated me._

_In my stay at the Weasley residence, I have gathered from a pair of young girls that you have started a defense organization. I cannot be more proud of you. You, Neville, are becoming a man your father would be proud of. He too could not just stand by and see innocent people get hurt. _

_A young lad by the name of Dean Thomas has asked me to send word to one Seamus. He's fine and staying with us at the house until he can be useful and hopes Seamus will understand. The girls send their hopes that the organization is still going strong._

_Keep fighting, Neville, and we'll join you when the time is right._

Neville stared at the parchment, swallowing hard. He hadn't even known his grandmother had been attacked, but to hear that she was staying with the Weasleys -- with Ginny and Luna, who were both okay. And _Dean_.

He read that part out loud, and no sooner had he finished it then a cheer erupted around the room. Neville understood completely -- they had thought the girls were _dead_.

Seamus looked over his shoulder, eyes searching and latching onto the name of his best friend, as if the letters could manifest themselves into him. Quietly, so quietly Neville almost didn't hear him, he whispered, "he's alive, he's okay..." before he collapsed back into a chair, breathing heavily, a happily dazed look on his face.

And, as Neville pocketed the letter in his breast pocket, hearing the loud chatter around him, Neville suddenly remembered what exactly they were fighting for.

**I know it's been forever and a day since I last updated, but if anyone out there is still interested, review.**


	19. Beginings of Battle

_It was the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking in with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew - and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents - that there was all the difference in the world. __**Deathly Hallows**_

There was an occasional time, even in Neville's life, were things could go right.

Today wasn't one of those days.

Oh, it had started out like one. Colin Creevey, the stupid kid that he was, had decided to go to breakfast in the Great Hall. He shepherded some of the younger kids with him, making the food Neville had managed to get from Aberforth and the House Elves in the kitchen stretch a little further. The kids he had gone with had come back, some excited, others scared. They said Colin had gotten detention for reading the newspaper. They had handed the article to Neville.

Seamus had gotten to the paper first. He looked at the page and started laughing. Incredulous, Neville peered over his shoulder.

It was the front page of _The Quibbler_, which was the only paper that printed anything near the truth these days. It showed a somewhat blurry picture taken from a bouncing camera of a dragon soaring into the sky. The headline read: **Potter Found At Last**.

With a whoop of joy, Neville hastily read the article out loud, his voice getting higher and more excited with every paragraph. This was the first real thing about Harry to show up in months. The last report of him was sketchy, a little bit on Potter Watch about the Malfoys and...something. Before that, in September, had been the great break-in, the one that no teenager but Hermione Granger could have pulled off.

_Witnesses report seeing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger leaving Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley on the back of a dragon._ Looking up, Neville had to smile. "Well, it's not like Harry ever even knew the meaning of the words _lying low_."

The room, so quiet while listening to the article, now erupted into fits of laughter. A cacophony of noise began, everyone turning to each other and discussing the report. The first words were always the same. "War? Will the battles start?"

Neville sat back in the armchair, feeling Seamus and Mickey fall in next to him. John wasn't there. Lately, he had taken to leaving the Room at odd hours, presumably to search for Dave. No one had the heart to tell him that it was probably for nothing.

Catching the sleeve of Dennis Creevey, Neville asked. "What's up with Colin?"

Dennis looked mortified. "I don't know." He muttered, his hands twisting into knots. "He...wasn't very discreet about having the article. He kind of started shouting about it. So Crabbe and Goyle, they came up to him and...kind of...dragged him out of there. I tried to stop them, because I knew that if I didn't..." 

His voice broke and he ran a hand distractedly through his hair. "I knew that if I didn't, I'd probably never see him again."

Neville patted Colin's shoulder, knowing that the younger boy was correct when he said that he would never see his brother again. There was still no sign of Dave. Neville suddenly felt hot and awkward now that no one was speaking. He was still a dork on the inside. Luckily, Mickey stood up and put his arm around Dennis, talking softly to the now-sobbing boy.

Turning to Seamus, he said, quietly. "You know what this means?"

Seamus was looking at the paper, staring unseeingly at the picture. "Yeah," he said, "It means the fight's moving. Might even come here."

Neville realized then a difference between him and Seamus. Seamus was looking forward to the fight -- t hat much was obvious from the look on his face, the was his hands kept smoothing out the report. Neville, on the other hand, was terrified. There was so much that could go wrong. There was a possibility that maybe, just maybe, the good guys wouldn't win this time.

And then what would happen?

Fingering the old galleon in his pocket, Neville made a rash decision. "Seamus, do you think we should...?" he held out the galleon. They'd been useful that year for sure, but only so many people had them and Neville, nor anyone else, could perform the necessary charm well enough to make more.

"Who else has one?" Seamus asked excitedly. Neville thought for a moment, but the Irish boy was already launching into a list. "Ginny and the twins, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, of course, but they're probably going to come here anyway. Actually, they're probably the reason why the battle's going to start."

Seamus had said it so casually, but that information sent a jolt down Neville's spine. Harry, Ron, Hermione...he'd known them for years. They were his age. And a war was converging around them. How scary was that?

"Err...Dean. He has one, right? Oh, and Connie -- she's in sixth year. Cho Chang. Remember her? Her friend got us caught. Can you not send the message to her?"

Neville had to smile. Seamus was so excited -- more excited than he had been in a long time. His features, almost hidden behind layers of puffy bruises and dried blood, were animated.

"But then there's some people who we probably need who don't have one. Like...Oliver Wood! He'd be good man in fight. And Penelope Clearwater. And anyone who graduated before the DA started."

Neville had already called over Ernie MacMillian. "Listen, Ernie, can you send a message to everyone who has these, not just inside Hogwarrts?" Neville may have been the "leader" of the new DA, but that didn't mean that he was any better at spells and charms than he had been a year ago. Ernie was in, or would have been in, all NEWT classes. He was as close to Hermione Granger as they could get.

Ernie shrugged. "I can try. What do you want to say?"

Something in Neville said everything would start _that day_. "Say...say to meet tonight. At the Hog's Head. Aberforth will let them through."

Ernie took out his own galleon and began muttering a long, complicated spell that Neville couldn't even begin to understand.

"Tonight?" Seamus asked. Neville turned to him and nodded.

Tonight, the battle would be brought to Hogwarts. They would fight here, within these walls. Where it had all started, really. But battles were long, tiresome, bloody -- Neville still shook at the memory of the Department of Mysteries, and there had only been a dozen or so Death Eaters. Now they were talking hundreds, possibly.

With battle came death. Looking around the room, at the tired, beaten bodies of his classmates, Neville wondered if they would all live to see the next morning.

**Review?**


	20. Comings

"_Oi, there's a war going on here!" __**Harry, Deathly Hallows.**_

Seamus had been put in charge of the Room of Requirement.

Neville, in the weird, secret way of his, had had a _feeling_ that he should go to the Hog's Head right that second. He had told Seamus not to let anyone in or out until he got back.

Of course, neither of them had planned for Dennis Creevey and John Growe. They stood on either side of Seamus, who stood in front of the door. "Listen, Seamus, the Carrow's will be too busy with everything else to even realize who we are."

Seamus looked them up and down. Both were covered in bruises, Dennis had a cut across his chest. Those would give them away as surely as their colors would. Seamus unknowingly touched his own swollen face, unable to feel his hand through the layers of bruises and cuts.

"I need to find my brother." Seamus never really knew which one had said that, but it was what made him give in.

In the course of one year, Seamus had lost a lot. Dean had left -- the news that he was alive had lifted a massive weight from his chest. Then his sister -- Lia was only a few years older than Seamus. She had gotten married right out of Hogwarts. She had a daughter. Her death had been such a blow to Seamus, and he hadn't been able to talk to his family since the letter that brought the news. For all he knew, his mother and brother could be dead by now too.

"Go ahead." He stepped aside, letting the tired-looking boys through. He looked after them for a second, watching as they darted down the halls. He hoped they wouldn't get hurt. He hadn't had the heart to tell them that, more likely than not, their brothers weren't even in Hogwarts. There was a chance that they weren't even alive.

It was so…pointless. What was this war about anyway? Blood status was just an excuse -- Seamus knew plenty of half-bloods and muggle-borns who were brilliant, like Hermione, or loyal and funny, like Dean. He even knew some muggles who weren't bad at all.

So what was the war about?

Seamus allowed himself to slide down the wall. The buzz that had come after learning that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had resurfaced had worn off. The room was quieter, almost muted. Everyone was preparing for battle, for the chance that they might not live through the night.

His chest ached from the _Sectumsempra_ a couple months ago. He was too afraid to talk to anyone. He didn't want to look at Ernie, or Lavender, or the Patils, or Hannah, or Justin. He had known these people for seven years. By the end of the night, every one of them could be gone.

_He_ could be gone.

For the past year, Seamus had lived recklessly. He hadn't cared. Life didn't seem to matter all that much. Now, faced with the real possibility of dying, he was too scared to move.

His eyes trained on the foe-glass, Seamus saw that the shapes were more pronounced than ever. A looming army of black-clad villains waiting just beyond the boundaries of the school. In his mind, he catalogued a list of people that would fight on their side.

The Order, of course. And the DA. Anyone that still had their galleons on them -- the Weasleys, Dean, Luna. Loyal Griffindors who wouldn't be able to pass up the fight.

But that list was not big enough -- not nearly big enough. There had been massive breakouts from Azkaban, because the Dementors were on His side now. The bad guys were bigger this time. The bad guys just might win.

The picture that was the passageway between the Room and the Hog's Head swung open. Seamus looked up, expecting to see Neville, hoping he had brought news.

His jaw literally fell open when he saw Harry climb out of the portrait. In the second before he was on his feet, he noticed the subtle differences in the boy. His hair was longer, his glasses broken, he seemed slightly taller and a little thinner, if that was possible. Behind him, looking tired, proud, and jumpy were Ron and Hermione.

Seamus flew across the difference between them. While Harry was being mobbed by the twenty other people in the room, Seamus took the opportunity to talk to Hermione. "You have no idea how much help those galleons were, Hermione." He said, wringing her hand. She had grown since the last time he had seen her -- she was gorgeous, even with her hair matted. The tiredness of her features only added to her beauty.

And it was obvious that Ron noticed.

Turning to Ron, Seamus said, easily, "So, how's your year been?"

Ron stared at him, then laughed. "About as good as yours, from the look of it." It was only then that Seamus remembered the bruises, the scars, the puffy look of his face. He waved it off. "It's nothing."

Ron cleared his throat. "Looks like Harry's about to make a speech."

Turning, Seamus saw Harry looking around the room. "Where are we?" A ripple of laughter came from the crowd at his bewilderment.

"The Room of Requirement, of course!" Neville said, "Surpassed itself, hasn't it?"

Harry stared at Neville as the other boy quickly explained about the room. Seamus could almost see what Harry was thinking -- Neville had changed this past year. He was confident, a true leader. "But can the Carrows get in?" Harry asked.

"No." Seamus said, and for the first time Harry looked at him. Seamus tried to pretend he didn't see the loon on Harry's face when he saw his scars. "It's all Neville, really. He really _gets_ this room."

He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked over to see Dennis Creevey, standing there, smiling, Colin next to him. "Hey guys." Seamus extracted himself from the crowd so he could talk more easily. Colin was a mess -- open wounds across his face and chest showed that _Sectumsempra_ was still a favorite of Crabbe and Goyles. "It's great that you found him. Where's John?"

"He went up to the hospital wing. I figure it would be safer to get Colin here, but Dave was really messed up. Like, almost dead." Dennis was jumpy -- he was close to Dave. He was only a year behind him.

"So you found everyone." Seamus didn't know he had been so worried until he said those words. "Great. Anyone else there?"

"A girl from Hufflepuff. Two little Slytherins that were too small to be all that mean. A whole bunch of Gryffindors who never made it to the DA. We let them all out. Most of them are with John."

"Listen, Seamus." The fact that Colin could _speak_ through all the blood on his face was a miracle. "It's mayhem out there -- the Carrows are missing. The teachers are trying to get everyone out. McGonagal knew that the battle was coming, too."

A high-pitched voice interrupted the conversation. "We got your message, Neville! Hello, you three."

Turning around, Seamus almost didn't believe it. They hadn't seen Luna since Chistmas, but there she was, climbing out of the hole like she did it every day. She reached behind her to help someone else step out.

He was running before the boy touched the floor. With a roar of delight, Seamus sent Dean toppling backwards as he tackled him, too happy to get any real words out.

**More battle, coming soon. **

**As always, please review. **


	21. Goings

"_Things like that always sound cooler than they actually were. I've been trying to tell you that for years." __**Harry Potter **_

Seamus stayed close to Ron and Hermione during the crucial minutes after everyone arrived.

People just kept coming. Seamus didn't miss the way Harry's face lit up as Ginny climbed through with Fred and George Weasley. After them was Cho, bringing Oliver Wood, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell.

But Seamus was hovering near Dean. He answered his friend's questions with a wave of his hand. "No, I swear it doesn't hurt, Dean. Really. It's just an old _Sectumsempra_. Madame Pomfrey fixed me up pretty quick."

Dean had seemed alarmed, and that made Seamus think he hadn't quite phrased everything correctly. After all, maybe getting tortured during detention was still a big deal to some people. "Seriously. No, don't touch it, Dean! Ouch!"

Dean's face twisted into a mask of rage and sorrow as his finger slid gently down Seamus' bruised and swollen features. "I should have been here."

"You would have been killed." Seamus said, bitter now. He quickly filled him in on the Carrow's plans to split up siblings who were causing trouble.

"What?!"

Seamus turned around to see Hermione and Ron gaping at him. He shifted his weight, embarrassed to be caught complaining in front of these two who had probably been through much more than a few terrible nights in detention. "Yeah, well, it seemed to be working, you know, threatening the Ministry workers by saying their families would be hurt if they didn't cooperate. So they tried it out in Hogwarts. Actually, Colin Creevey was just taken this morning, but we managed to find him."

Hermione looked like she was going to cry, or maybe scream, and Seamus hated when girls looked like that, but he didn't know how to comfort her. He was glad when Ron put an arm around her waist, murmuring some soft words to her.

Deciding to give them as much privacy they could get in a room that was getting steadily more crowded. (More people had joined them, adults this time…was that Professor Lupin?) So he turned to his friend, who's eyes still made Seamus want to reach out and hug him. "What've you been up to?" he asked, trying to sound as if they were merely talking about a fun summer vacation instead of a year living as a fugitive.

"We went camping, mostly." Seamus knew that Dean was trying to play along, trying to keep everything light and easy, trying not to think about the fact that all around them, people were preparing for the battle they'd been waiting all year for. But Dean couldn't quite mask the look of regret and compassion that laced into every one of his features.

Pushing his elbow into Dean's rib, Seamus' face quirked into a smile. "Any s'mores? Campfire songs? Girls?"

"Just this one goblin. Oh, and Ted Tonks. You know him? He was a good bloke, but apparently his daughter's in the Order, and they were trying to kill him."

Now Seamus knew how Dean must feel, hearing him talk so casually about the punishments the Carrows dolled out. Hearing his best friend talk about the reason why he was on the run made him feel sick to his stomach. Dean would have _died_. He would have been killed if he'd tried to come back to school. Because his mum had married another man after his dad took off, his younger sisters were okay to just stay at home, and his mum was a pureblood. So it was just Dean.

A tap on his shoulder made Seamus turn around. Ron and Hermione looked different from how they had just a minute before. They were standing straighter, their faces more grim, expectant, as if they knew something unpleasant was coming.

It wasn't like Seamus hadn't been in a battle before. There was that one night last year…the night Dumbledore died…Seamus and Dean had been in the library, studying for once, when everything seemed to erupt around them. One of the walls had been blown in by a curse. Dean had launched himself on Seamus, landing on top, so that he took most of the cuts and bruises that came from the rocks that rained down on the both of them.

But Ron and Hermione had been in so many sticky situations. Seamus could still remember the Philosopher's stone in first year, waking up to find Ron and Harry not in their beds. Both had been in the hospital wing. Then there was the Chamber of Secrets, their second year, when everyone had thought the school would close. Something happened the last night of finals in third year, but all Seamus knew about that was that Black had escaped. Fifth year was the epic fight in the Department of Mysteries. Last year, Dumbledore's death, and so many more over the course of this past year that they didn't know about yet.

So at the looks on their faces, Seamus tried to prepare himself for what they might expect. Deaths. Injuries. Destruction. They could lose. They could win. They could solve nothing.

"Shay, we need to get to the second floor. Is there a way to get there that doesn't make us too obvious?" Ron's voice was tense, and Seamus say that his hand was gripping Hermione's. Neither of them seemed to notice.

Seamus nodded, leading the way through the crowd to find the door they all used. He spoke softly, which, surprisingly, was the only way to talk in the din of the room. "This door comes out in a different place every day. Weird, right? But it makes it harder for the Carrows or Filch to find." Putting his ear against the door, Seamus listened hard.

He smiled. "You're lucky, you'll end up on the third floor. They never patrol there. They like to hang out around the common rooms. More kids to put in detention, you know." Ron and Hermione were at the door, half-way out of it. He called, "Good luck!" They didn't seem to hear him.

Lupin and some of the other adults had called for everyone to start gathering in the Great Hall. The crowd surged around Seamus and Dean, struggling out of the now-too-small door.

Seamus looked at Dean and felt a lump form in his throat that hadn't been there before. He had just gotten his friend back after a year of being apart. And now Dean could die. He, Seamus, could die.

As if he had heard and understood what Seamus was thinking, Dean enveloped him in a hug. Even in his friend's gentle embrace, Seamus had to remind himself not to flinch as Dean's hands landed unknowingly on some of the many scars that criss-crossed along his back. "We'll be okay." Seamus whispered, a promise, a wish. Seamus nodded, wondering in that second when exactly Dean had gotten taller than him.

They could lose. They could win. They could be captured and tortured. They could die.

Seamus found himself being lead out of the room by Dean, running to catch up with the garrulous crowd ahead. Their fingers touched and intertwined, connected. And Seamus was sure that not even the hoards of Death Eaters outside the school would be able to separate them again.

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